Tradition is great except when less and less folk know about it. It then survives until enough don’t see the point any more.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Hence the LKS MacKinnon Stakes run for 78 years as a lead up race to the Melbourne Cup is now run after it.
Apparently once Bart Cummings was gone, no trainer thought there was much point running a horse over 2000 metres at weight for age, four days before the Cup.
Mind you it didn’t harm Rising Fast, Rain Lover, Empire Roe or Let’s Elope and in the race’s previous guise Carbine and Phar Lap.
But now apparently it is not a good idea. What is now a good idea is to move the race, under a new commercial name – well not really a new commercial name, to the last day of the Cup Carnival.
The logic there is that the type of horse attracted to the country’s biggest WFA race, the Cox Plate, is more likely to run in the MacKinnon if its run two weeks later, rather than seven days as has been the way for yonks.
This year five of those horse did just that – not the big names, but it’s a start in proving the philosophy correct. It also means good three-year-olds are now possibilities for the MacKinnon, which is worth $2 million, because it’s not run on the same day as the Victoria Derby.
![NEW TRADITIONS: Stephen Baster riding Awesome Rock defeats Seaburge and Hauraki in the Emirates Stakes which was, for 78 years, known as the LKS MacKinnon Stakes. Picture: Getty Images NEW TRADITIONS: Stephen Baster riding Awesome Rock defeats Seaburge and Hauraki in the Emirates Stakes which was, for 78 years, known as the LKS MacKinnon Stakes. Picture: Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/32UQzXcwHuv6EtT6StXJwQK/d40ca8f3-9e14-4cfa-a97d-997685512c2a.jpg/r563_0_3709_2678_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
This year two three-year-olds did run, but neither was backing up from the Derby.
All of that seems logical, if not causing a tear to form in the eye of the traditionalists, who would not only be miffed by the move but also the loss of the name.
In the interests of matters commercial, the Mackinnon is now called the Emirates Stakes. What was previously called by that name is moved to Derby day and is run over 400 metres less with a new sponsorship from the watch company. Ka-ching Ka-ching!
The loss of tradition which was acknowledged by the Victoria Racing Club when it announced the new arrangements in June this year.
“These changes balance innovation with tradition to improve the carnival’s already outstanding racing product into the future,” VRC chief executive Simon Love said at the time.
They probably also bring in some extra cash.
Innovation is the catch cry of another change in tradition later this summer when the standard format of higher level track and field competition in Australia will be replaced by Nitro – the brainchild of former Sports Minister, Mark Arbib now president of Athletics Australia.
It’s presented as a Twenty20 version of athletics and has been given the best chance of early success by the signing of the World’s most famous track face Usain Bolt as the leader of one of the six teams.